Thomas More College strives to become
the Catholic liberal arts college of choice exemplified
by superior teaching and an innovative spirit.

The College equips students to engage the world with integrity for their whole lives. In traditional curriculum and adult education, Thomas More College is a learner- centered institution. Building on a solid foundation of the Catholic liberal arts intellectual tradition, students are educated to meaning fully contribute to work, family, and community.

Value More – Engage More – Thrive More provides a foundation for students to successfully meet challenges and engage the world. Each individual is guided to Value More—for a meaningful education, Engage More—for student success, Thrive More—for a prosperous future on a journey to develop a meaningful career and a faith-filled, ethical life.

The Strategic Plan enables the College
to establish a strong financial foundation
to carry itself into the foreseeable future.

Value More – Engage More – Thrive Moreencourages relevant educational and student experiences, resulting in a CHARACTER RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI) as students meet the challenge of a values- based education and develop into well-rounded, ethical leaders;

provides programs and tools to ensure that more students successfully initiate and complete a Thomas More College education, resulting in a CAREER ROI;

develops COMMUNITY ROI, through engagement with a close-knit, caring network of faculty, staff, administration, and alumni, in addition to serving neighbors in need.

Thomas More College seeks
to Value More–Engage More–Thrive More
by challenging graduates to pursue faith-filled lives
characterized by acts of wisdom, ethical leadership,
and commitment to social justice.

Together faculty, staff, administration, alumni, and friends of the College illuminate what it means to flourish in our modern, interconnected world while pursuing honest work, promoting responsible and respectful stewardship of God’s resources, seeking justice and peace, and embodying loving, compassionate service to others.

ONE OF THE GREATEST PROBLEMS OF OUR TIME IS
THAT MANY ARE SCHOOLED BUT FEW ARE EDUCATED.

 Thomas More, Selected Writings 

Goals

A Thomas More College education illuminates what it means to flourish in our modern, interconnected world. Since the founding in 1921, Thomas More College has graduated over 13,000 alumni who exemplify the professional excellence, ethical leadership, and spiritual integrity that are outcomes of a Thomas More College education. The 2015-2020 Strategic Plan will continue this legacy to the 2021 Centennial Celebration of the College, and beyond, as we unite to Value More – for a meaningful education, Engage More – for student success, Thrive More – for a prosperous future.

VALUE MORE

VALUE MORE

Highlight the meaning and relevance of a Thomas More College educationValue More defines a Thomas More College education. Students build an academic, professional, and spiritual foundation through mission-centric classes in the liberal arts and in a chosen major. These experiences promote a lifetime of learning as well as gainful employment. To encourage broader understanding of the value of a Thomas More College education the College will:

Enhance appreciation of its Catholic liberal arts identity

Develop and model the Thomas More College experience

Deliver a core curriculum consistent with the Thomas More College mission and relevant to students within the current landscape of higher education

ENGAGE MORE

ENGAGE MORE

Engage More describes the journey to complete a Thomas More College education.

Opportunities in service learning, extracurricular activities, and athletics provide multidimensional connections to the College community and firmly position the student on a path to graduation. A culture of continuous improvement assures that all programs and activities provide the high quality experiences characteristic of a Thomas More College education. To assure that this goal is achieved, the College will:

Commit to continuous improvement through program evaluations and make decisions based on the results

Explore and implement new curricular programs and expand on current programs

THRIVE MORE

THRIVE MORE

Commit to a long-range plan that positions the College to prosper

Thrive More provides the resources necessary to improve the Thomas More College experience. Integrated academics, co-curricular opportunities, extra-curricular pursuits, and practical career preparation create the personalized and transformative Thomas More College experience. To continue to provide this experience, the College must assure that its future is fiscally sound. Working together, administrators, board members, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the College will:

Increase resources through effective enrollment management to grow to ideal size and composition within the scope of our mission

Triad Theme

Thomas More College’s Catholic identity has a close connection to the symbol of the triangle as it relates to the Holy Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As the Strategic Plan unfolded the triad motif evolved, lending itself perfectly to the three distinct prongs of the Plan – Value More, Engage More, Thrive More. The multifaceted, holistic approach of a Thomas More College education expands that triad as a jumping off point for the future, whether it is a tailored plan to develop an Interest into a Major, to prepare for a Career, or to meet the needs of the Mind and Body and Spirit. Students, staff, faculty, and alumni share some of their thoughts on the three items that come to their minds as members of the Thomas More College community.

President’s Message

Thomas More College’s Strategic Plan 2015-2020 is a result of over six hundred people joining together with a desire to advance Thomas More College at a time when higher education is faced with a new normal which could disrupt centuries of constancy in academic delivery. The Steering Committee wishes to acknowledge all those who participated in the strategic planning process to ensure that Thomas More College’s Mission as a Diocesan Catholic institution grounded in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and the liberal arts thrives in the future.

Thank you to our Chancellor, His Excellency, Bishop Roger J. Foys, D.D., for his shepherding of the Diocese of Covington and its College. His leadership is best exemplified by the quality growth of Catholic education in the Diocese from pre-school to post-secondary. The Diocese of Covington is first in the nation for parishioners sending their children to Catholic schools and, in 2014, Thomas More College welcomed its second largest incoming class in history despite downward enrollment trends for private colleges state and nationwide.

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Thanks to our Board Chair, Mr. John Hodge, for all his efforts and steadfast leadership through the appointment of a new president and a new strategic plan. His humble and friendly personality is a perfect complement to his relentless drive to guide Thomas More College to even greater recognition in the future. Any strategic plan for an educational institution must derive from the belief system and intellectual capacity of its faculty. The faculty of Thomas More College deserves special acknowledgement for their overwhelming participation and leadership of the committees that provided the content for this strategic plan. Their contribution forms the basis for this Strategic Plan and we recognize their efforts in this process especially when a majority of their time was given during breaks over holidays and summer.

Committee work performed by trustees, faculty, administration, staff, alumni and students was done with introspection and care. Seventy-five alumni, board members, faculty, staff, and students served on 12 sub-committees of the plan. The product of the sub-committees is the foundation for the plan to move the College onward and upward toward its centennial anniversary. A special thanks to the chairs of the sub-committees and trustees who guided the analysis essential for the formulation of future strategies to succeed. The Chairs of the Steering Committee acknowledge the special expertise and guidance of severalThomas More College Board of Trustee members: Ms. Melissa Lueke,Dr. Daniel Hiltz, and Ms. Sarah Giolando.

Finally, in any organization, projects are not successful unless there are individuals who drive the process to completion. On behalf of the College community, we acknowledge and thank these four people for being the drivers of this plan. The following members of our community carried this project forward. Co-Chairs of the Steering Committee, faculty members Dr. Maria McLean and Dr. Catherine Sherron, were our leaders throughout the project and carried the heaviest load to completion. Ms. Charlene Barlow was the organizer of all the copious amounts of information. The art and design of this wonderful plan would not shine through without the talent and vision of former art faculty member Ms. Rebecca Amann.

Thank you to all for your care and love of the institution as we Value More, Engage More and Thrive More for the good of our beloved College.

2014 Strategic Planning Process

During the summer of 2014, 75 people, representing all constituencies of the College, served on 12 planning subcommittees guided by faculty members. The committees were charged to develop the framework to plan for the College’s success and stability going forward, while remaining true to the College’s mission, vision, and values. The plan captures and highlights the transformation as the individual student comes to value, engage in, and thrive with a Thomas More College education.

The 2014 Strategic Planning Process

The 2014 Strategic Planning Process

During the spring of 2014, Thomas More College President David A. Armstrong, J.D., initiated development of a new five-year Strategic Plan. A 19 member Steering Committee, representing alumni, board, faculty, staff and students, was formed to guide the planning process. More than 500 members of the College community participated in a broad online survey of perceptions about the current state of the College, including perceived strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The Steering Committee reviewed institutional data and the survey results, and developed a framework of goals and strategies for the plan. During the summer of 2014, 75 people, representing all constituencies of the College, served on 12 planning subcommittees guided by faculty members. The committees were charged to develop the framework to plan for the College’s success and stability going forward, while remaining true to the College’s mission, vision, and values.The subcommittees met and communicated with the Steering Committee throughout the summer of 2014 and produced three major drafts of the planning framework, with the final version of goals and strategies approved by the Steering Committee in September 2014. Additional work on tactics, metrics, and visual design of the plan occurred through the fall of 2014. The Thomas More College 2015-2020 Strategic Plan was approved by the Board of Trustees on December 4, 2014 and officially launched in a College-wide celebration on January 20, 2015. The plan captures and highlights the transformation as the individual student comes to value, engage in, and thrive with a Thomas More College education, while in parallel providing direction to the College to ensure institutional stability in an increasingly complex world of higher education.